Automatic release valve for the auxiliary reservoirs of air-brake systems



Dec. 2, 1924. 1,513,097

E. H. MOREO' AUTOMATIC RELEASE VALVE FOR THE AUXILIARY RESERVOIRS OF 'AIR BRAKE SYSTEMS Filed May 12. 1924 raises 'EARL H. MOB-E0, OF LIMA, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FIFTH TO HENRY J. MOREO, ONE- FIFTI-I T0 MONTFORD R. EULIJER, ONE-FIFTH T0 RAY E. VTOOD, ONE-TENTH TO NELSON H. TUNKS, AND ONE-TENTH TO CLARENCE W. BAKER, ALL OF L11 A, OHIO.

AUTOMIATIC RELEASE VALVE FOR THE AUXILIARY RESERVOIRS OF AIR-BRAKE SYSTEMS. i

Application filed May 12, 1924. Serial No. 712,766.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARL H. Monro, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lima, in the county of Allen and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Release Valves for the Auxiliary Reservoirs of Air-Brake Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to discharge valves for the auxiliary reservoirs of air brake systems and has for one of its objects the provision of means for automatically continuing the discharge of air from the auxiliary reservoir after said discharge has been initiated manually in the usual manner. Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic release valve adapted to be connected to the auxiliary reservoir, and which will automatically close when the air in the auxiliary reservoir has been exhausted.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of means for performing the r above functions, but so constructed as not to interfere with the exclusive manual control of the discharge which is exercised, for instance, when it is attempted to release a brake which is stuck, without losing all the pressure in the auxiliary reservoir.

Under the present practice, an operator in order to discharge the pressure from the auxiliary reservoir must manually hold open the release valve on each car included in the air brake system, from two or four minutes until the air has been completely exhausted from the auxiliary reservoir,

which aggregates a considerable waste of time in the case of a long train. With the Referring now in detail to the several figures, the numeral 1 represents the barrel of the valve to the lower end of which the cap 2 is secured, said cap having a threaded nipple 3 adapted for attachment to the wall 4: of the auxiliary reservoir. The barrel 1 is provided with a central bore or pressure chamber 5 which bore is closed at the upper end by the head 6, which is secured to the barrel of the valve in any suitable manner, as for instance by the threaded connection 7. The upper portion of the head 8 is formed with a trans verse slot 8 intersected bythe pins 9 which form alternate fulcra for the double operating lever 10. The barrel 1 is also provided with an atmospheric pressure chamber 11 in its lower portion, said chamber communicating at times with the pressure chamber 5, as will presently be explained,

by means of a restricted annular aperture 12. Said aperture is surrounded at its lower end by a downwardly projecting annular flange 13, forming a valve seat. The head 6 is provided with a bore 15 preferably coaxial with the' aperture 12 and also preferably lined with a bushing 16 the lower end of which projects into the chamher 5 forming another annular valve seat.

- A passage 17 which is of relatively small diameter passes through the head and connects the bore 15 with the atmosphere. Registering passages 18 and 19 formed respectively in the barrel and cap connect the pressure chamber 5 with the auxiliary res ervoir 4, and a passage 30 connects the chamber 11 with atmosphere.

A valve 20 fits within the pressure chamber 5, said valve, by means of a suitable ring 21 or other packing means, formin a fluid-tight seal separating the upper and lower parts of said pressure chamber. The upper part of said valve is preferably furnished with a leather or other resilient packing washer 26 which in the normal closed position seats against the lower end of the bushing 16 in a fluid-tight manner. Said valve is provided with a stem 22 projecting through a bore in the head and normally contacting with the operating lever 10. Said valve is normally baised in an outward direction by means of the spiral spring 28. In so far as the fluid pressure ill within the chamber 5 is concerned, the valve 21 is balanced, when in normal closed position, by means of branch passages 24 and 25 establishing communication between the passage 18 and the spaces above and below the valve 21. The valve stem 22 projects beneath the valve 20.

A valve 27 seats against the annular flange 13 and is normally maintained in seated position by the spiral spring 28 having sufficient tension to withstand the normal pressure of about eighty-five pounds Within the auxiliary reservoir. The valve 27 has a stem 29 projecting upwardly therefrom through the aperture 12 and in alignment with, and suiiiciently close to the lower end of the stem 22 of the valve 20 to be engaged by said stem after it has been moved through a predetermined initial di tance by the operating lever. The branch passage 25 is so close to the valve as to be occluded by the latter upon its initial movement before the stem 29 strikes the stem 22.

In the operation of my improved dis charge valve, when the air brake system is fully charged and the release valve 20 is in its normal or closed position, the auxiliary reservoir is open to both parts of the pres sure chamber 5, above and below the valve 20, so that the pressure in each part of said chamber is the same, and equal to the pressure in the auxiliary reservoir. Atmospheric pressure prevails within the bore 15, due to the presence of the passage 17, and the chamber 11 is also maintained at atmospheric pressure by the passage 30. lVhen it is desired to exhaust the pressure entirely from the brake cylinder, not shown, and the auxiliary reservoir which communicates therewith, the lever is either pushed or pulled from either side of the car to its full extent of travel. This forces the transverse portion of said lever downwardly carrying with itthe valve stem 22, pushing the valve from its seat at the end of the bushing 16 and permitting dis charge to take place from the auxiliary reservoir and from the pressure chamber 5 through the passage 24 on the upper side of the valve 20, the air escaping through the passage 17 to the atmosphere. Upon further descent of the valve stem 22 the passage is occluded by the valve 20, cutting off the air supply from the auxiliary reservoir. The stem 22 then makes contact with the stem 29 of the valve 27, opening the latter against the resistance of the spring 28 and providing an avenue of escape for the pressure in the chamber 5 by way of the chamber 11 and passage 30 reducing the pressure within chamber 5 to atmospheric pressure. As the passage 17 is restricted relatively to the passage 24:, pressure will accumulate sufficiently in that part of the chamber 5 above the valve 20 to hold this valve open against the spring 23 until the pressure in the brake cylinder, not shown, and the auxiliary reservoir, has become exhausted. At this time the spring 23 will move the valve 20 back to its closed posi tion.

It will thus be evident that after the operator has imparted the initial opening movement to the valve 20 by pulling in either direction upon the double operating lever 10, he is free to let go said lever and proceed to the next car, the subsequent functions of the valve mechanism being carried out automatically.

It frequently happens that a brake may remain stuck due to failure of the triple valve to operate to release said brake, in which case it is desirable to manually relieve the pressure from the auxiliary reservoir sufficiently to release said brake but without necessarily releasing all the pressure within the reservoir. Under these circumstances the automatic action of the discharge valve is not desirable. In the present construction, the arrangement of parts is such that the discharge valve may be operated exclusively by manual means without calling into action the automatic functions. This is done by restricting the movement imparted to the lever 10 so that while the valve 20 will be unseated, the movement of said valve will not be of sufiiciently great range to close the passage 2!. When the lever 10 is thus operated the pressure with in the auxiliary reservoir is relieved to the atmosphere through the passa e 24, the bore 15 and the passage 17 and continues to escape just so long as the lever 10 remains down. The fluid pressure upon both sides of the valve 20 remains balanced so that when said lever is released the spring 23 restores it to normal position by pressure transmitted through the valve stem 22, the valve 20 meanwhile regaining its seat and preventing further loss of pressure from the auxiliary reservoir.

Although the invention is not necessarily confined to details of construction yet it is to be understood that where these details amount to a material advance in the art they are included within the scope of the invention. For instance I have shown the valve stem 22 separable from the head 20 and Se cured thereto in any suitable manner as by threading. By this expedient it is possible to replace the valve stem when worn, without necessitating the renewing of the entire valve structure.

While I have here illustrated and described a very practical form of automatic discharge valve for air brake systems it is to be understood that the principles of the invention may be carried out with numerous alternative arrangements and that the incally defined in the claims.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent is 1. Release mechanism for the auxiliary reservoirs of air brake systems comprising a member enclosing a chamber, a valve forming a piston within said chamber, said memher being provided. with a passage communicating with said auxiliary reservoir and having branch passages communicating with said chamber above and below said valve, and being provided also with a passage communicating with said chamber above said valve and leading to atmosphere, said valve operating to alternately close said last named passage and the branch passage below said valve and means operated by said valve for venting that portion of the chamber below said valve to atmosphere after the branch passage below said valve has been closed by said valve.

2. Release mechanism for the auxiliary reservoirs of air brake systems comprising a member enclosing a chamber, a valve forming a piston Within said chamber, said member being provided with a passage communicating with said auxiliary reservoir having branch passages communicating with said chamber above and below said valve, said member being provided also with passages leading to the atmosphere both above and below said valve, the latter operating to alternately close the passage to atmosphere above said valve and the branch passage below said valve, a second valve operated by said first named valve for opening the passage to atmosphere below said valve after the branch passage below said valve has been closed by the latter.

3. Release mechanism for the auxiliary reservoirs of air brake systems comprising a member having a passage communicating with said auxiliary reservoir and with the atmosphere for venting said auxiliary reservoir, a valve in said passage normally in communication on both sides of said valve with fluid pressure from said auxiliary reservoir, means for normally holding said valve closed, means for operating said valve against the resistance of said closing means, said valve being inert to the influence of fluid pressure in its initial opening movement, means actuated by said valve upon its final opening movement for causing the biasing of said valve by fluid pressure against the resistance of said closing means for holding said valve open until the fluid pressure in said auxiliary reservoir is substantially exhausted.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

EARL H. MOREO. 

